Discover a new way of looking and understanding the world that we share with unconventional and provocative commentaries and funny Zen koans

Category Archives: loveiambooks

The We live in a world that is fast, irrational and centered on survival. There is no time to stop and to contemplate the meaning of life. Before we know life has passed us by and left us with a few memories of better times. How often do we enjoy the luxury of joy and laughter. When we laugh we can move away from our conditioning and boredom. It is said that laughing is the closest to Enlightenment. If that is true we never want to stop laughing as we can laugh all the way to Enlightenment and beyond.

These books will make a great travel companion or gift for the special people in your life!

A book of very unconventional and provocative poetry. Contemplations about freedom, spirituality, awakening, love, sexuality, marriage, children, democracy, politics and moral, ethical and social issues. “The Flower Is Meditating” is not your ordinary poetry. It is an unconventional collection of provocative commentaries under the term ‘Socially Responsible Poetry’. “The Flower Is Meditating” jumps at you out of Pandora’s box containing unspoken truths which transcend cultural taboos and prejudices. Reading “The Flower” can help to understand our own helplessness, our personal dilemma, our isolation, our fears, our denial, our lack of courage and morality. Therefore it may become an exercise in self-awareness and awakening. These poems are complex and yet simple, captivating and memorable, satirical and inspiring. Quiet listening may lead to sudden understanding.

A humorous and hilarious exploration of anti-traditional Zen koans, but not limited to it. “Zen Koans of a Retired Zen Master”may remind us of our own confusion, illusion and ambivalence. You unexpectedly find yourself in an upside-down position where ordinary concepts of the world of Zen no longer apply. Funny, satirical, cynical, captivating, always inspiring and not to be taken too seriously. You need an open mind to step into the obscure world of a retired Zen Master. There are no secrets, no hidden Zen meanings, no puzzles, no “talking around the bush” but only straightforward truthful dialogues between a Zen Master and his students/devotees. Nothing learned in Zen before has prepared you for this unique Zen journey. If you have a good sense of humor or would like to start one, this book is the perfect travel companion as each koan can lighten or deepen your time in a crowded airport or lead to abrupt laughter in the middle of a bathroom visit.

You can now discover and enjoy the power of funny koans by following a Retired Zen Master. He doesn’t have a name as he likes to stay anonymous but he may live in your backyard or your beach house, you never know where you will come across him.

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Not so serious koans by the Retired Zen Master Politicians, celebrities and other leaders like to ask questions, just like you and me. Now they can meet the retired Zen Master and find the answers that will surprise them and you, the reader. These answers will not change them, but they may change some perspectives and thus initiate small particles for some new thinking and reflection.

I will regularly add more koans to this blog. Later they will be incorporated into my new book ” When the Zen Dust Settles, Koans of a Retired Zen Master” Book II

Zen koans no longer have to be arcane meditation objects – only mastered by a few trained Zen minds. Your life is already a koan – a deep question whose answer you are already living. You cannot learn from a book how to understand koans. They have been studied over the centuries by Zen masters and their students alike. What was valid then,may no longer be applicable in a world that lives on short memories and fast internet connections. As issues are evolving and our needs adjust to the changing times the process of transformation may as well continue with a fresh perspective.The koans presented here are different from any koan you have ever read. They don’t claim to be traditional koans (and as such they are not material for traditional koan scholars). The koans you find in this blog were written for the untrained non-traditional mind. They are snappy, hilarious and often provocative allowing plenty of space for intuition and contemplation – often resulting in spontaneous laughter. These koans show the radically reversed relationship between a Zen master and anyone who is asking a question. Even Zen masters can show signs of stress and doubt which are so rampant in our modern world.Take one koan at a time and follow it with a pause. There is always a lot in a koan – of any kind. What is the meaning, if any? Sometimes there is no meaning, no explanation,no deep wisdom but only a curious place in the wilderness of thoughts. If you prefer the traditional koans, this is not the place for you, you will look for your stick and smash this blog to pieces. You may believe that presenting koans in this way may be a sacrilege, but don’t get carried away, in this world there is a place for every religion and style of presentation, dangerous or childish as they may be. In comparison these Zen koans are quite innocent and only serve one purpose – to bring attention to the challenges of a retired Zen master whose words are not meant to make fun of anything but to enlighten. If you have a good sense of humor and an open mind, this blog is the perfect travel companion as each koan can lighten or deepen your time in a crowded airport or lead to abrupt laughter in the middle of a bathroom visit. You may even want to put these koans under your pillow to sleep on at night. To your surprise you may wake up in the morning not remembering who you are and wondering why your life has suddenly changed. This may be the result of too many koans read the day before or poorly digested by sleep. If you have such an experience don’t report it to the authorities but live with it for a day and see how you like it.

“I like to offer you some help. But in Zen we don’t have a single thing.”

The German chancellor asked the Zen Master: “I have a new election coming. What can I do?” The Zen Master replied: “This is not 1933. May be you should look for a new job as a cleaning lady. Germany needs more cleanliness. Look at the streets of Berlin.”

The German President asked the Zen Master: “I am a very lucky man. I am president of a united Germany. What else can I do.” The Zen Master replied: “The “wall” was an interesting experiment. Why don’t you build another one.”

This blog is designed to familiarize you with a new style of writing and observing/commenting/contemplating our world – wherever we meet it which is every moment.

The style of writing and language you find in

“The Flower Is Meditating – Contemplations Of A Sick Mind On The Way To Enlightenment”

and

“When The Zen Dust Settles – Zen Koans Of A Retired Zen Master”

are often provocative, certainly unconventional, playful and controversial but always within reach of understanding and therefore resulting in more awareness/introspection.

The Freedom of Thought is not everywhere welcome. Often it is violently opposed or ignored. Poetry can be a way of discovering new dimensions of thought and awareness as it can contain many messages otherwise difficult to express. As such the Freedom of Thought is a precious gift not to be sacrificed or to be taken for granted. Only where such freedom exists can we truly communicate with each other as human beings.

You will find a small selection of such inspiring contemplations on this blog, and new ones will be added regularly. Please enjoy and let me know your comments.

There are many flowers
I can compare you to
But I cannot remember any of their names
You may taste like a fresh fig
Or you may smell like jasmine
And you may look like a Burmese princess
But my tears will never dry up
I have met you many times
In another world
Where my love can live freely
Without restraint
Without laughing at herself
Our eyes have never met
Our hands have never touched
And your hair
Has never been kissed by my lips
Do not always hide in politics
Burma is more than that
Not just a place with many tears
Torture and iron bars
Burma is the place of many lost souls
Looking to escape to a citadel of peace
We may never touch each other
But always speak kind words
Across a border with thousands of refugees
And machine gun fire
Killing all the children
Who have come too late
To walk up the steps to lasting peace
When the only place to hide
Is inside a temple
And your precious heart

From “When the Zen Dust Settles – Zen Koans of a retired Zen Master”

v Straight talk by a retired Zen master

v Zen koans you didn’t know existed

v No more hidden Zen secrets and meanings

v Laugh with the master

v Zen will never be the same

v Your life is already a koan

A humorous and hilarious exploration of anti-traditional Zen koans, but not limited to it.

You unexpectedly find yourself in an upside-down position where ordinary concepts of the world of Zen no longer apply. Funny, satirical, cynical, captivating, always inspiring and not to be taken too seriously. You need an open mind to step into the obscure world of a retired Zen Master. There are no secrets, no hidden Zen meanings, no puzzles, no “talking around the bush” but only straightforward truthful dialogues between a Zen Master and his students/devotees. Nothing learnt in Zen before has prepared you for this unique Zen journey. If you have a good sense of humor or like to start one, this book is the perfect travel companion as each koan can lighten or deepen your time in a crowded airport or lead to abrupt laughter in the middle of a bathroom visit.